Coconut Date Sehri Bars (Vegan, No Oil, Gluten Free)

Oh, coconut-y, date deliciousness!  These Coconut Date Sehri bars are flavorful and filling!  You don't even need to add chocolate.  But . . . chocolate added to the mix?  EPIC.  Making them requires some refrigeration, so plan to make these the night before breakfast.  Hoping you enjoy them as much as I did.

Ingredients:

1 and 1/2 cups old fashioned oats
1/3 cup maple syrup, agave syrup, or date puree
1 and 1/2 cups toasted unsweetened coconut
1/2 cup mixed nut butter (sub any type of nut butter)
1 cup deglet noor dates, soaked in water for 20 minutes
1/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 and 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1/4 cup vegan chocolate chips *optional*

Instructions:

Following these instructions exactly will provide the best results.

1. To make the crust, blend the oats on low speed until the oats break into small pieces. Add the maple syrup into the blender until a sticky dough is formed.
2. Press the crust into an 9x5" baking dish (I used a glass dish - but recommend lining your pan with parchment paper if using a metal pan). Bake the crust for 15 minutes at 350 degrees. Remove the crust from the oven and cool.
3. In a blender, combine the soaked and drained dates, nut butter, salt, vanilla, and water until you have a thick paste.  
4. Pulse in the toasted coconut.
5. Spread the mixture on top of the crust base.
6. Refrigerate the bars for at least four hours.
7. *Optional* Melt the chocolate chips in a microwave at 30 second intervals until melted.
8. *Optional* Drizzle the tops of the bars with the melted chocolate.  Chill, until the chocolate sets.
9. Slice the bars and enjoy! Store leftovers in the fridge!

#halahbakes

Persimmon Bread (Vegan, No Oil, Sweetened with Fruit)

Have you ever tried a fuyu persimmon? They are sweet and crunchy when they are hard, or pudding like when they are soft.  But, my favorite thing to do with persimmons is to bake with them!

Why create this recipe? Because my dad has persimmon trees in his yard and we had over 300 persimmons to consume! Hopefully, this recipe will come to the aid of persimmon tree owners and persimmon lovers! Your family and friends will gobble this deliciousness right before your eyes!

PS This recipe is for TWO loaves of bread, but can easily be halved.

Ingredients:

2 flax eggs (2 tablespoons ground flaxseed mixed with 6 tablespoons water)
1 tablespoon vanilla
3 cups ripe fuyu persimmon pureed without peels (around 6 to 8 persimmons)
3 to 6 medjool dates *for your preference of additional sweetness*
3/4 cups almond milk
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup cinnamon
3 cups all purpose flour
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup raisins
1/4 cup oil *optional*

Instructions:

Following these instructions exactly will provide the best results.

1. Prepare your flax eggs in a small bowl by combining 2 tablespoons of ground flaxseed with 6 tablespoons of water. Let the mixture sit for about 5 minutes.
2. In a blender or food processor, blend the vanilla, pureed persimmons, and medjool dates until you get a fairly smooth consistency. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, combine the baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and all purpose flour together.
4. Add the pureed persimmon mixture, the almond milk, flax eggs, and the optional oil into the flour mixture and mix well so that there are no flour clumps.
5. Fold in the raisins and chopped walnuts.
6. Divide the batter evenly between two oiled bread loaf pans.
7. Bake for 60 minutes at 350 degrees or until a wooden toothpick inserted into the center of the loaves comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 10 minutes and then turn out to cool further.
8. Slice with a bread knife, and enjoy! Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge.

#halahbakes

Coconut Date Magic Bars with Sesame (Vegan, No Oil, Gluten Free)

Magic bars are the best - but, I seriously couldn't imagine them without the ever-famous . . . condensed milk and chocolate. But, then, thankfully, I learned a cool trick for substituting condensed milk from Feasting on Fruit: blend 3 ripe bananas! With this tip, I then decided to sub out the chocolate for dates (because, honestly, dates are WAY better)! Hence, I am now able to share this incredibly tasty layered treat where you can save your evaporated milk and chocolate for a different day!

Ingredients:

1 and 1/2 cups old fashioned oats
1/3 cup maple syrup, agave syrup, or date puree
3 ripe bananas
3/4 cup chopped almonds
3/4 cup chopped dates
3/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1/2 cup sesame seeds

Instructions:

Following these instructions exactly will provide the best results.

1. To make the crust, blend the oats on low speed until the oats break into small pieces. Add the maple syrup into the blender until a sticky dough is formed.
2. Press the crust into an 8x4" baking dish (I used a glass dish - but recommend lining your pan with parchment paper if using a metal pan). Bake the crust for 15 minutes at 350 degrees. Remove the crust from the oven and cool.
3. Blend the bananas until smooth.
4. Pour the banana puree on top of the crust.
5. Sprinkle the almonds on top of the banana puree, followed by the chopped dates.
6. Press the almonds and dates into the banana puree so that the banana puree rises up and covers the almonds and dates.
7. Sprinkle the coconut on top of the banana puree and gently press down - the banana puree does not need to cover the coconut completely, but should cover the coconut partially.
8. Finally sprinkle the sesame seeds on top of the coconut.
9. Bake for 40 minutes at 350 degrees.

10. Cool and then chill the bars in a refrigerator for at least 4 hours.

11. Slice the bars and enjoy! Store leftovers in the fridge!

#halahbakes

Chocolate Chip Almond Flour Cookies (Vegan, Gluten Free, Diabetic Friendly)

Thanks again to Feasting on Fruit for your incredible creativity. These cookies are sweet, soft, and date-I-say-it . . . "healthy." [You see what I did there?] The cookie base is sweetened with medjool dates. I played around with the recipe too and discovered that you don't even need chocolate chips. You can leave them out completely or substitute raisins.

P.S. I also tried making these without baking soda -- the recipe still works, but the cookies end up looking more like meat patties than cookies. Stick to using the baking soda!

Give these a try and let me know how you like them!

Ingredients:

12 pitted medjool dates
2/3 cup water
3 cups almond flour
1/2 cup peanut butter (you can find numerous brands without sugar)
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup vegan chocolate chips (or sub raisins)

Instructions:

Following these instructions exactly will provide the best results.

1. In a blender, blend the medjool dates with the water until you have a smooth date paste.
2. In a separate bowl, stir the date paste, almond flour, peanut butter, baking soda, vanilla extract, and salt until well mixed.
3. Stir in the chocolate chips.
4. Scoop out a heaping tablespoon worth of dough and roll into a ball. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Press down to flatten.
5. Repeat with the remaining dough. Leave about 1/2 inch to 1 inch between the cookies.
6. Bake the cookies for 10 to 12 minutes at 350 degrees. The cookies will just start to turn golden brown.
7. Let the cookies cool for at least 10 minutes before eating!
8. Enjoy!

#halahbakes